The Detroit Pistons are still sorting out Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency in late August, and that hold-up could end up creating another problem down the road. If the same pattern repeats with Ausar Thompson, the Golden State Warriors are one of the teams that could be ready to pounce.
Thompson has already been floated as a possible restricted free agent next summer, which makes him a player the Warriors should keep on their radar this season if Detroit can’t get an extension done before opening night. The Pistons still have time to reach new deals with both Duren and Thompson, but it seems unlikely Thompson signs first while Duren’s situation remains unsettled.
That’s the kind of chain reaction John Hollinger of The Athletic pointed to this week.
"...There is an important question of which player they value more, one that will play out rather publicly if Thompson inks an extension shortly after Duren’s deal is completed," Hollinger wrote. "Of course, it’s possible that, as with Duren, Detroit doesn’t agree with Thompson on an extension and he becomes a restricted free agent next summer."
Thompson is in a tricky spot. His production doesn’t yet scream max player - he averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season - and his shot remains a clear issue. Like his twin brother Amen in Houston, Thompson has a shaky to bad jump-shot, and he’s only a 20.4% 3-point shooter for his career.
But the other side of the ledger is hard to ignore. Thompson finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned All-Defensive First Team honors, putting him among the league’s top defenders. That kind of two-way tension is exactly why his future could become messy fast, especially if he keeps trending toward the edge of max-player territory without fully landing there.
For the Warriors, the timing matters. Detroit has been able to stay patient with Duren because the league hasn’t had much cap space floating around. That won’t necessarily be the case next offseason, when teams with restricted free agents could face a much different market.
Golden State already stands out as a team to watch, with less than $50 million on its books beyond this season. Add the possibility of picks in a sign-and-trade, and the Warriors have a realistic path to chase Thompson - or another restricted free agent - if the opportunity opens up.
That’s why these rookie extension talks are worth tracking before opening night. If Thompson’s deal drags the way Duren’s has, Golden State could be waiting for the exact kind of opening it has been looking for.
In Other News...
Warriors Still Have A Big Wing Question Heading Into The Season
The wing depth chart already looked like a spot worth watching in San Francisco, and Moses Moodys injury only sharpens the issue. Moody is expected to miss the first half of the season while recovering from a torn patellar tendon, leaving the Warriors to sort through options before the games start to matter for real. His absence strips away one of the more familiar young pieces on the roster and forces the staff to think a little differently about how it wants to cover size and athleticism on the perimeter.
One name now entering the conversation is Dalen Terry, whom Golden State is reportedly weighing for a training camp spot as a possible stopgap answer. Terry brings a different skill set than Moody, but the overlap in age and physical profile makes him at least a plausible fit for the kind of short-term roster patch the Warriors may need. For a team that always values flexibility, the bigger question is whether the temporary answer can hold up long enough to keep the rotation from feeling Moodys absence too sharply. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face A Jimmy Butler Decision That Could Reshape Everything
Jimmy Butlers return timeline has started to sharpen the picture for Golden State, and it comes at a moment when the Warriors are already weighing some of the biggest financial questions on their horizon. Butler is on an expiring $56.8 million deal this season, and the front office has to sort through how he fits alongside the roster core while also keeping an eye on the 2027 offseason, when the team could potentially have more cap flexibility.
The complication is that Butlers next contract wont exist in a vacuum. Golden State also has Stephen Currys extension considerations to navigate, and whatever it does with Butler will ripple through the franchises longer-term planning. For a team trying to stay competitive now without boxing itself in later, this is the kind of decision that can shape far more than one season. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Just Got Pulled Into A Steph Curry Trade Debate
The Warriors spent the offseason trying to stabilize their roster, bringing back several players after missing out on the kind of star-chasing that once defined this stretch of the calendar for Golden State. With the Western Conference still loaded and the margin for error growing thinner, the conversation around Steph Curry has drifted beyond immediate roster tweaks and into the bigger question of how long the franchise can keep itself in contention around its superstar core.
Now that unease has spilled into full-blown trade talk, with ESPNs Kendrick Perkins even suggesting Curry should think about leaving Golden State altogether. An analyst has since taken the debate a step further by floating Charlotte as a possible destination, turning the Hornets into an unlikely part of the conversation around one of the leagues defining players. For now, it is just speculation, but the fact that Currys future is being discussed this openly says plenty about how the Warriors recent struggles have sharpened the pressure. [Read more 🡒]